My Butterfly Theory

Butterflies are beautiful insects created by God. There are various types of butterflies but each go through four stages to have a complete metamorphosis. The four stages are as follows: The egg, Larva, Chrysalis and finally the adult butterfly.  Each state is critical to the final development of a beautiful butterfly.

As a teacher, I have enjoyed sharing with children the metamorphosis of the butterfly. We read books (my favorite is The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle but of course there are more detailed and more educational books as well) We view charts but most importantly we watch them develop from Larva to butterfly. 

I purchased my caterpillars online and they were shipped  with food included. We added the caterpillar to a box covered in netting and we observe them eating, spinning their cocoon and finally we watch them emerge. They hang upside down and move their wings while they dry and then they are ready to be released. 

Here is the most important thing Ive learned from that experience. No matter how much they seem to struggle, never help them escape their cocoon. You see, every part of the process is helping them develop. Once, a friend of mine was teaching her children about the complete metamorphosis of the butterfly and one of them seemed to struggle more than the others. She helped the little butterfly and this proved disastrous! The little butterfly's wings dried too early which ultimately left it deformed and unable to live on its on outside of its protective netting home. 

This was such a revelation to me! The more I thought about this poor butterfly the more I realized that we, as humans are much like the butterfly. We often dont understand why we must endure pain and hardships. We often shake our fists at God and ask why? We dont understand why he wont just help us get through these struggles we face on Earth with ease or why he allows this pain in the first place. The answer is simple. The struggles we face prepare us for the life ahead. If he did it for us  then we would not be equipped  face this life  just as the butterfly my friend assisted, was not able to live out its future unassisted. 

The struggles we face prepare us for the future. The struggles we face are also a witness to those around us. People who face similar things will look at us and know that if we were able to get through it, then surely they can too. We can and should use what we have learned through our struggles to educate and support those around us. Surely we are not alone, God is with us all the way but he cannot shelter us from these struggles and hardships.

No matter what, always remember my Butterfly Theory. God cannot reach down and remove our struggles and hardships because we will not be strong enough to face our future if he did. These hardships and pain we face are all for a greater purpose, and many times we may never see that purpose but its always there.